By Josey Morris
For these few students, they will be experiencing something this year that has been keeping them in high spirits.
Musicals are something that Delta High School hasn’t seen since 2018 when the Delta Troupers performed Fiddler on the Roof.
Current actors in the theater program have not had the chance to perform in a musical in the past.
Although recently, this has changed.
This year’s group will perform El Phantismo Dec. 13-14. This is a regular play. But then later in the year, they will bring the musical Band Geeks to Delta.
Mrs. Dawn Raleigh taught at Delta for 22 years and was the Delta Troupers teacher for many years before her retirement last year. Now that she has stepped down, someone new has stepped up.
Mr. Dave Flowers has been involved with Delta since he chose to start working here because his children attend Delaware Community Schools. At first, he worked as just a substitute teacher. Then he began at Delta High School as student teacher for history teacher Holly Hopkins.
After the first quarter, Flowers’ student teaching came to an end. He is now a substitute in the mornings. He also teaches the high school’s health classes in the afternoon.
Recently, the theater program went from being a class to a club. Without Mrs. Raleigh to run the program, the school was looking for a replacement.
Flowers had heard from local people who work at Muncie Civic Theatre that Delta was looking for someone to run the Delta Troupers, which is the drama club.
He chose to apply and was later accepted.
Flowers graduated from Jay County High School in 1996. He then went on to film school at Miami International University.
“People told me I couldn’t have a career working in the entertainment industry,” Flowers said.
He decided to beat that stereotype.
Flowers proceeded to go professionally into the entertainment industry. He has been working with actors in Hollywood and other major cities since 2013.
Although, years later in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic came about, Hollywood was shut down.
“I said at that time I needed a back-up career,” Flowers said.
He then decided to transition to education. Instead of going down the path of theater education, he chose to pursue social science at Ball State University.
Although he isn’t pursuing theater education, he hasn’t lost his passion for theater and film.
“You get to challenge yourself to do things that other people are afraid to do,” Flowers said.
He loves working professionally in the entertainment industry.
Flowers works mainly to prepare actors for upcoming auditions. He also works with Muncie Civic in their youth education department and conducts character development workshops.
Flowers’ past has been beneficial for him being a teacher and toward his students in the drama club.
“He’s experienced everything, the lows, the highs, getting rejected or being chosen,” drama club senior Hailie Woodring said.
Flowers has provided his students with many opportunities to become better actors and people.
He has connected the student actors with celebrities he has worked with such as Ryan Kelley and Camila Rodriguez.
Woodring said it is amazing they get to meet these people that they look up to and it’s a wonderful way to bond with her fellow actors and actresses.
One of these fellow actresses is senior Alaina Painter. Painter believes Flowers will benefit the program in many ways such as the way they perform on stage.
Students have said instead of continuously working on their lines, Flowers likes to focus on blocking, movement of actors on stage, to provide more chemistry and fluency in the performance.
Along with their different methods of practice, they rehearse every day after school besides Tuesday.
Another senior actor is Isaac Brewer. He said that Flowers helps everyone know the purpose of what they are saying and doing. He says it helps get the most out of every scene.
“He knows what it’s like to be in our shoes,” Brewer said. “He has so much experience that it gives our program a much higher quality.”
Painter said Flowers always has a positive mentality and she is looking forward to future plays with him. She is also looking forward to being able to participate in a musical later this year.
With Delta’s last musical being in 2018, Flowers is planning for an upcoming musical this spring.
With these future plans of bringing back musicals, expanding the theater program and developing different practice styles, theater students believe Flowers will do great things for Delta.
“We see in him what we want to be,” Woodring said.
